Monday, September 13, 2010

Hood River Top-Down Mitts

I have been thinking for some time that it would be really cool if there was a pattern for mitts which went top-down. No more wasted bits of yarn and what a super awesome way to use up every bit of that super special yarn, like malabrigo or something with cashmere. Mmm... After all you can just keep knitting until you reach then end of your yarn or the desired length.

So around Christmas I designed these mitts and sent off the pattern to Gardiner Yarn Works. They were in too late for the January release, so they were put off for a later release. After designing a pattern it has to be reformatted, tech edited, test knit, and then sample knit. These are my original prototypes. The light blue is Malabrigo, which I need to finish up for myself. The black is out of Cascade 220 Superwash and was a pair for a husband of a friend for Christmas. I intentionally made the pattern so it would fit pretty much everyone. The ribbing makes it pretty stretchy! I love how snuggly and warm these mitts are!

Recently I finished these up for the son of a friend of ours. They will be tucked safely away for Christmas. They are a smaller size than the pattern as written, but if there is enough requests then I'll create a child version as well. Wouldn't they be cute for baby X? I think so.

I should also mention that the shorter version is made for a 50 gram ball of worsted weight yarn (about 110 yards) and the opera glove length is made for a 100 gram ball of worsted weight yarn (about 250 yards). Of course you can make them as short or as long as you like! You can find the pattern for sale here in the shop or on Ravelry!

LavenderSheep Shop

I am a full time Indie Dyer. I make fabulous handpainted yarn inspired by the Pacific Northwest. I knit in my spare time, which is every moment I can get. I dye custom orders and am always open to ideas for yarn and colors!